Pakistan quake death toll rises to 359

From Sophia Saifi, for CNN

updated 1:14 PM EDT, Fri September 27, 2013

A girl walks past the remnants of a house in the earthquake-devastated district of Awaran on Thursday, September 26. The 7.7-magnitude quake struck on September 24 in a remote, sparsely populated area of southwestern Pakistan.

A Pakistani Army helicopter hovers over people as they wait for relief in Awaran on September 26.

People gather on an island on Wednesday, September 25, that appeared off the coast of Gwadar after the earthquake.

An earthquake survivor undergoes tests at a hospital in Karachi on September 25.

Survivors take shelter at a makeshift hospital in Awaran on September 25.

Volunteers load relief supplies in Karachi, Pakistan, on September 25 for earthquake-affected people of Balochistan province.

Members of Pakistan's army prepare to travel to Balochistan province from Karachi on September 25.

A woman stands in front of the rubble of her destroyed home in Balochistan province on September 25.

Pakistani relatives help an injured earthquake survivor at a hospital in Karachi on September 25. At least 330 people have died, a spokesman for the National Disaster Management Authority said Wednesday. In addition to the fatalities, 445 people were injured, he said.

People sit under a makeshift sunroof near the rubble of their destroyed homes on September 25.

People affected from earthquake stand on rubble of their destroyed homes on September 25.

Pakistani children are treated in a makeshift hospital on September 25.

People look for belongings on on September 25, amid the rubble of their destroyed homes after an earthquake.

Survivors gather around destroyed houses in the Awaran district on September 25.

People walk on an island that formed off the coastline of Gwadar after the earthquake hit in this photo released by the Pakistani government.

A family rests at a makeshift hospital in Awaran on September 25.

Members of the Pakistani Muttahida Qaumi Movement load relief supplies onto a truck in Karachi on September 25.

People clear debris off of a truck in Awaran on September 25.

HIDE CAPTION

7.7 quake rocks Pakistan

7.7 quake rocks Pakistan

7.7 quake rocks Pakistan

7.7 quake rocks Pakistan

7.7 quake rocks Pakistan

7.7 quake rocks Pakistan

7.7 quake rocks Pakistan

7.7 quake rocks Pakistan

7.7 quake rocks Pakistan

7.7 quake rocks Pakistan

7.7 quake rocks Pakistan

7.7 quake rocks Pakistan

7.7 quake rocks Pakistan

7.7 quake rocks Pakistan

7.7 quake rocks Pakistan

7.7 quake rocks Pakistan

7.7 quake rocks Pakistan

7.7 quake rocks Pakistan

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STORY HIGHLIGHTS

More than 600 people have been injured by the powerful quake, a local official says

Survivors are having to cope with high temperatures and a lack of drinking water

Authorities say about 21,000 houses have been destroyed

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- The death toll from the strong earthquake that struck southwestern Pakistan this week has risen to 359 as rescue workers struggle to reach victims, authorities said Friday.

Further complicating relief efforts, two rockets were fired at -- and missed -- a military helicopter on its way to the quake zone.

The number of people injured has climbed to more than 600, said Jan Muhammad Buledi, a spokesman for the government of Balochistan, the province where the quake hit. Authorities estimate that 21,000 houses have been destroyed.

The 7.7-magnitude earthquake took place Tuesday in a remote, sparsely populated area of Balochistan. Rescue efforts are under way in the heavily hit districts of Awaran and Kech.

Hundreds killed in Pakistan earthquake

Did quake cause island to appear?

Images from the scene have shown buildings reduced to rubble. More people are feared to be trapped under the wreckage, authorities say, suggesting the death toll could rise.

The remoteness of the affected area and damaged communications networks are hindering the rescue operation.

Officials say some areas remain inaccessible, preventing them from getting a full picture of the scale of the damage.

Meanwhile, thousands of survivors in need of assistance after the quake are having to cope with high temperatures, a lack of drinking water and little in the way of shelter.

October is the hottest month in Balochistan and the region is in a perpetual state of drought, said Muhammad Hanif, the director of the National Weather Forecasting Center. Temperatures in Awaran and Kech have reached 37 degrees Celsius (99 degrees Fahrenheit).

Helicopter attacked

The Pakistani military has deployed more than 1,000 troops to help with rescue and relief efforts

The troops are entering a difficult region. Militants fighting for a separate state in Balochistan operate out of part of Awaran district, which has been the site of bombings.

The potential threat was underlined Thursday when two rockets were fired at an army helicopter ferrying the chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority to the earthquake zone, a military official said.

The rockets missed the helicopter as it flew over the narrow Mashki Valley on its way to Awaran, said Brig. Muhammad Abdur Raheem, an army spokesman in Balochistan.

The helicopter was carrying Maj. Gen. Muhammad Saeed Aleem, the National Disaster Management Authority chairman, as well as staff officers and two members of the local news media, Raheem said. All those who were aboard are safe, he added.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the failed attack.

Pakistani officials have said the quake was powerful enough to cause the appearance of a small mud island a few kilometers off the country's coast in the Arabian Sea. But some overseas scientists have questioned whether the island was the direct result of the earthquake.